Wings
by xXSomeone AwesomeXx
Summary: Maxwell Peter Davidson thought he knew himself. A teenage boy, baseball champ, and annoying, could all describe him. But, "a total freak with wings" was certainly NOT one of them. Now, from joining alliances with doctors, getting kidnapped in gas stations, and living in a world where Harry should be living is, Max has a huge task ahead of him. Rated T for safe. In future.
1. Chapter 1

** A/N: Okay, first, I should clarify something. After I read Maximum Ride, this idea came into my mind. I wrote 7 full chapters of it, until I decided [with the support of my teachers] to show you guys! So . . . it's a WHOLE new story. Hope you give it a try and review your thoughts at the end, so I can decide either to delete this or update Chapter Two! :)**

**Prologue:**

I kicked and thrashed. I was screaming and I could feel someone trying to hold me down. Then I felt something sharp, and everything was black. I was dead.

**Chapter 1:**

What was that smell? Ugh, it's too bright in here! Stop shaking me!

The last part I must have yelled out loud, because suddenly there was screams of joy and people calling my name.

I managed to open my eyes and I took in my surroundings. I was on a hospital bed, obviously in a hospital. I recognized four out of five people standing over me. There was Dad, Mom, my older brother, and my younger sister. The other one must be the doctor. He quickly took my pulse, as I stared dumbly at my family. My mouth was so dry, I didn't even feel like opening it and try to talk. Mom stepped forward, with tears in her eyes.

"Please, ma'am. The patient just recovered. Please wait outside."

I turned my head a little and saw a nurse I hadn't noticed before, in the back of the room.

Mom stopped, "I want to speak with my son." She sniffed, but her voice firm.

The doctor shook his head, "He barely recovered. His heartbeat is low, too. He needs to rest. If you talk to him, his brain will be moving too fast, and soon, he'll end up where he was in the beginning."

Mom hesitated, but Dad pulled her back, "When will we be able to talk to him?"

Both the doctor and nurse replied, "Tomorrow."

All this was giving me a headache. The lights were way too bright. I closed my eyes, and felt warmed up the blackness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I woke up sweating in complete darkness. I was still on the hospital bed- I could feel that. I was suddenly hungry and I wanted to move. I got off the bed, turned, and collided with the wall. Fumbling around, I felt a switch and flicked it on. The lights blinked on. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around and frowned. This wasn't the same hospital room I was in before. In fact, it didn't even look like a hospital room at all! It looked more like a mad scientist lab. There were vials everywhere with all kind of stuff in them. Every color, and colors I haven't even saw before, were stirring inside. I moved along the room, looking for food and maybe a way out. That's when I saw a life-size mirror. I walked in front of it. And then I screamed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What I saw was not what I expected. I expected a teenage boy, dressed in ugly white robes. Not _this. _A boy with wings?

"C'mon, Doc, I'm not that stupid. It was for real. I know it. I saw-"

"I never said you were stupid, Maxwell." He calmly adjusted his glasses.

"Well, in case you were thinking that! I have wings!" I insisted, clutching the chair I was sitting on.

"Yes, Maxwell, I see them." The doctor said, glancing behind me, at the two wings.

"Then why do I have them? I'm a human!" When the Doctor didn't answer, I asked quietly, "Right?"

He sighed, and shuffled some papers that were on his desk, "You're mostly human-"

"Mostly?" I exclaimed.

"By 98%"

"And the other 2%?" I questioned, relieved that I could do math.

"Your wings. Your ability to fly. That's the non-human 2%." Doc answered.

"How did I get wings in the first place?" I asked, weakly.

He frowned at me, as if the answer was obvious, "What do you mean? You've always had them."

I stared at him. The day just kept getting better and better. "Always? What?"

The Doctor leaned in, "You've always had wings. Today is your 13th Birthday-"

"Today's my 13th Birthday?" Well, that was a surprise.

"Yes, and-"

"Where are the balloons? The cake?"

The Doctor gave me the evil eye.

"Sorry. Guess they only do that in the movies." I shrugged, half sarcastic.

"When you're 13, it's the day you mature from a human-looking thing, to a non-human looking thing."

"So . . . you're saying I'm a non-human looking thing? Thanks." I rolled my eyes.

He ignored me, and continued, "Your wings pop out and now you can see them and soon will be able to fly."

"Flying is awesome." I admitted. The teachers always do the "To-Know-You-Better" junk, that I always hate. I mean, who cares? And most of the questions no one even asks. It's like, who goes around asking people how long they take in a shower? Only girls ask that sort of thing. Usually, one of the popular questions are, 'If you could have any super power, what would it be?' Of course, I couldn't care less, but I would always answer flying. And all the super heroes always flied around. Usually.

Again, Doc ignored my comment, "But, having such a power will put you in danger. In fact, someone already knows you have wings and this power. That's the reason you're in this hospital in the first place."

"Someone knows?" I whispered softly. 'Yeah, like no one could notice two white wings sticking out a guy.' I couldn't help but think sarcastically.

The Doctor sighed, "Before you were born, there were groups of people who were granted different powers. Some could read minds, while others could turn invisible. Some were even granted to fly." He nodded towards my wings, "Then some of these people took their powers in a bad way. They only used it for themselves, when they were supposed to protect it. They almost destroyed the world. Then a group of curious humans, learned about having such powers. They created a society and still exist today. They go around, killing all people who have powers."

"I'm one of them, aren't I? The people who have powers." I asked. Great. There's a group of people hunting me down. And the wings don't help either!

He nodded, "The society is so powerful now. There are less than 100 people with powers out there, hiding. Before, there were almost exactly 500."

"There's more? More people who have powers?"

"Yes. And I will show you one person who has the same power as you." He hesitated, "But on one condition."

"What's that?" I had a bad feeling about this.

"You'll have to join me, and you'll probably never see your family again. They don't know that you have powers. If they do, they'll die for sure."

"What do you mean by join you?" Not completely pleased with the 'your family will die' sorta thing.

"I'm trying to save all the people with powers." Doc said, with so much emotion, that anyone would have fallen over his feet and cried right then.

I nodded, but couldn't help to hesitate. I mean, what if this guy was evil? What if he took me into a room and killed me? No- that wouldn't happen. I'm in a room with him right now. If he did want to kill me, he'd already have done that. But, there was this feeling, that I shouldn't make choices right away.

"For now." I said, firmly. "Just for now."

The Doc seemed like he wanted to say more, but he stopped at grimly nodded back. "I'll bring our guest."

"The one with powers?" I asked, making sure.

Doc nodded, and walked out of the room, to get this so called person with powers.

I walked in front of the mirror I had seen earlier. This time, I didn't scream, and actually took a good look at myself. I didn't look any different, besides the wings. I still had shaggy brown hair and green eyes.

But the wings?

They reminded me of bird wings. They were white, with these awesome blue streaks at the ends. I wondered how I'd move them. I started moving my shoulders, and the wings moved along. Concentrating on my wings only, I closed my eyes and listened. First, there was nothing, but soon, I heard the wind and something flapping. Continuing, I slowly opened my eyes and saw that my wings were beating rapidly. I could feel them trying to lift me up, but my feet weren't cooperating. Then I jumped.

My head smashed onto the ceiling and I landed hard on the floor. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the pain.

"Ouch. That must've hurt."

Surprised, and pain forgotten, I turned around. A girl, amused, stared back with her arms crossed. She had wings like mine, but hers were shorter and wider, with light yellow streaks that seemed to sparkle. She had the same color hair as the streaks, and light blue eyes. She looked 13, like me.

"You must be Maxwell." She leaned on the doorway.

I got up and rubbed my head, "I like Max better. You?"

"Sabrina."

There was awkward silence after that. Finally I spoke, "When were you . . . um . . ."

"Discovered?" She offered.

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Almost an year." She paused, "Were you attacked?"

"Attacked?"

"How did you end up in this Hospital?"

I tried to remember what exactly happened, "I . . . I was attacked. I don't know who or how. I just remember blackness, me screaming, and . . . something sharp."

Her eyes shot up, "Something sharp?"

"Yeah. Why?"

She sighed, "I was attacked too. Like you, I don't remember anything. But I do remember something sharp. I'm thinking that the person who attacked me, was the person who attacked you."

"Do you think it's the same group? The group that goes around killing people with powers?"

She nodded, "That's exactly what I think. We should tell Doc right now."

"You call him Doc, too?"

"Everyone does." She smirked and started to leave. Not knowing what to do, I followed her. We entered another room that looked like the one I was in. Doc was sitting there, hunched over a desk, writing furiously. A bobble head, that looked like a doctor, stood at the head of the table.

"Doc? Max and I were both attacked by Them."

Doc looked up, "Them? Are you sure?"

Sabrina nodded, "It has to be. This place isn't safe anymore. Soon, they'll know where we are."

Doc sighed, "I hoped this day wouldn't come."

"Well, it did." I replied.

Doc got up, and started putting everything away, "Hurry. Pack up. We're leaving." Sabrina nodded, and ran out the room.

"Hey! I don't have anything!" I complained.

"I'll get you something." He hurried out of the room, leaving me with the bobble head.

I sighed, "Hey, Bobble Doc. What's up?"

Of course, it didn't answer.

**A/N: I know, I have LOTS of editing to do! But the other chapters are better- I promise! And please, please, pleeeeeeeeease review! Thanks so much! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, after I got a few follows and reviews, I took that as a "yes, I want more". So, here's chapter two for ya! [Also, I don't have time to reply to your awesome reviews, so I reply here! :)]**

**IHaveASparklyFace: Kind of. The chapters are mixed together, and edited, but overall, yes.**

**Kittychow: Haha, I know completely different! Thanks so much! You totally made my day! :D**

**Chapter 2  
**

In less than 10 minutes, we were packed, dressed in modern clothes, and driving to the middle

of nowhere.

"Where are we going?" I asked, for the millionth time.

As usual, no one answered.

"I'm hungry. Can't we stop at a restaurant or something?"

Again, there was silence.

Before I could ask something else, Sabrina asked, "We might as well stop at a gas station, Doc. My wings are getting a cramp, and I think this car needs gas."

I had to agree with her. Doc instructed us to fold our wings, which made them look invisible. No one could see the wings, but the owner of the wings could feel them. My wings were stiff from sitting in the same position for so long.

I thought no one would answer her, but instead, Doc replied, "You're right, Sabrina. In fact, there's a gas station in just a few miles. We'll stop there."

"After we stop at the gas station, can we go to a restaurant?" I asked, to keep the conversation going.

No one answered.

After a few minutes, we did reach the gas station. Well, it was supposed to be a gas station anyway. It looked more like those really old, like 1900's gas stations. I think they forgot that the 21st Century came along. Doc parked, and we all got off. He handed us some dollar bills, and whispered, "Be careful."

"C'mon, Doc. Those society killing freaks won't break into a rusty gas station bathroom and kill a couple of kids!" I comforted him.

But the look he gave me said that those killing freaks would do just that.

We walked into the store, which actually looked like modern 21st Century stores. Sabrina went into the Girl's, and I walked into the Boy's bathroom. Fortunately, no one was there. I quickly locked myself into a stall, and unfurled my wings. That felt better. The stall was big enough to flap my wings, and after a good five minutes, I walked out innocently, towards the vending machine.

I might as well wait for Sabrina. I bought a Coke and made my way towards the bakery section, casually glancing towards the Girl's Bathroom. Why was she taking so long?

As I reached for the doughnuts, a firm hand grabbed my shoulder.

I whirled around, lifting my arm, ready to throw the Coke bottle. Instead, that arm got pinned behind my back, and I stared face to face with a man. He looked like any average man, with brown hair and eyes. He had huge muscles, and he showed it off. He had a dark checkered shirt, and ripped jeans.

He glared. "Were you really gonna throw that bottle at me?"

I grimaced. He was pinching my arm. "I . . . I. . . well, you just caught me by surprise."

He huffed, "By surprise, eh? And who're you?"

I shrugged, "Why do you care?" I shouldn't have said that, because he just clenched my arm tighter. He glared and growled at me. "You think you're so cool, don't ya? Is it because of your power, that makes you think you're better? Huh?"

He was waiting for an answer. I tried to play innocent, "My power? Throwing a Coke bottle isn't exactly called a power."

Another pinch. Tears welled into my eyes, but I fought them back.

"Kid, you're comin' with me," He didn't wait for my answer. Instead, he twisted me, and threw me over his shoulder. He definitely was strong.

"Let me go! Let me go, you ugly, dumb-" I kept yelling at the top of my lungs and kept hitting him with my fists and feet. He didn't even flinch.

Where was Sabrina and Doc? Where was everyone when I needed the help?

He continued to walk to the back of the gas station. "Whose car is that?" He pointed towards Doc's car. I almost sighed, but stopped myself in time. Doc and Sabrina are safe. But, where the heck were they?

"That's mine. I drove it over here." I winced. I wish I could have come with a better lie.

Maybe he didn't care, because he didn't ask anything after that. Instead, he threw me in the backseat of his black car, that was parked behind some bushes. Just before he closed the door, a big fist came at my face. And then it was black.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I woke up, groggily and groaning. I was laying on some hard surface, in a very bright place. My eyes wouldn't open, so I tried to hear the voices that seemed to be above me.

"He's waking up." A deep, low voice informed. Why does it sound so familiar?

"I know that!" A higher voice snapped, "He's not opening his eyes, though."

I tried to tell them it was too bright.

"What's he saying?" the higher voice asked. That voice definitely belonged to a woman.

"It sounds like he's saying 'he wants to write'."

"Write? What?"

I groaned again and blurted with all the energy I had, "Bright!"

"Oh! _Bright_!" the woman squeaked. A few seconds later, the lights dimmed, and I was able to open my eyes.

"Better." I mumbled, and struggled to get up. I was in a steel room, with steel walls, a steel door, with a huge steel lock. I was lying on a steel bed, too. Before me stood the man from the gas station and a skinny woman with a clipboard. She had her brown hair in a messy bun, and wore white, shirt, skirt and heels. The guy didn't look anything different and still had that checkered shirt.

"Where's my Coke? I spent a buck on that you know!" I complained.

They looked at each other, surprised. I guess that wasn't exactly what they were expecting from a teen who just got kidnapped.

"Oh, sweetie, we can buy you another one." She gave me one of the worst fake smiles. I immediately didn't like her. Well, I didn't like both of them in the first place, anyway.

She extended her hand. "I'm Doctor Ann."

What was she expecting? A hand shake? Really? I just stared at her.

"Ahem," the guy cleared his throat as Ann pulled her hand away, "Chuck."

I couldn't help but snort. That name fit him perfectly. I guess he didn't get my sense of humor, because, suddenly, he banged the steel bed.

Teeth gritted, he growled, "Boy, show us your power."

"My power? What, like stealing things, you mean?" I tried to act as innocent as a powerful, able-to-fly, teen would be.

"Show us your wings." He demanded, forcibly.

How did he know I have wings? I folded my arms, "Look. One, I'm a runaway. Two, I wish I had powers and wings, but I don't. Three, can I go home now?" I was almost whining.

Chuck's face turned red. Before he could yell though, Ann stepped in front of him and said, "Let him have some time to think."

I thought he'd just shove her away and yell at me anyway, but instead, he just shrugged and lowered his arm.

"I'll come back, boy, and you better have some good answers." He threatened, before he locked the door shut.

"Yipee." I muttered.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I woke up to some sort of hum. Someone was with me, singing, but I couldn't see who it was. I got off the bed, anxious. Instantly, the humming stopped, and I stopped as well.

"Hey, you're awake."

I whirled around, towards the soft, humorous voice, but no one was there. "Who . . . who are you?"

"I'm Matt Greensburg. You?" The voice was coming in front of me. I was sure of it. Hesitating, I lifted my arms in front of me and waved my hands around.

I felt really stupid, and asked the air in front of me, "Why . . . why can't I see you?"

The voice laughed, "Because I'm invisible, duh!" Suddenly, a boy appeared in front of me, just a few inches away from my hands. He had messy black hair, green eyes, and dark, tanned skin. He looked like he was around sixteen. I gaped at him, mouth open in surprise. He hopped onto the bed, and asked, "So, you're power is Flying, huh?"

I frowned, "No. I don't even know why everyone is asking me that!"

He rolled his eyes, "You can stop the act now. Everyone knows you're Maxwell Peter Davidson. And that you can fly."

I huffed, a little annoyed, "Stalker."

He laughed, "Well, if you have powers, everyone will stalk you." Suddenly, he became serious. "Do you know why you're here?"

I sighed, "Uh, aren't you going to kill me?"

Matt's eyes got wide in shock, "No! We'd never do that! Why do you think I'm still alive?"

I looked up at him, confused, "But . . . but, isn't there a society that kills people with powers?"

Matt nodded, "There is. But, there's a different society, too, you know. And that's us. We don't kill people with powers, or I'd already be dead two years ago."

"Then . . . what do you do?"

Matt's eyes twinkled, "We use our powers to kill the other society!"

I rolled my eyes, "So we still kill."

Matt shrugged, "Well, if we don't, then they'll kill us."

"I'm confused."

Matt sighed, "Ok, let's start from the beginning. Once, there were 100 people who had different powers. They, I mean, we, were called lots of names. Servant of God, Angels, but, now, everyone calls us Zarleans."

"Zarleans?" I asked, "I'm a Zarlean?" That name sounded cool and powerful.

"Yep. So am I. Anyway, some Zarleans were good. Some were evil. These evil Zarleans almost destroyed the world. Then, these humans," Matt gave a disgusted face, "created a society called Banishers. They go around killing Zarleans, even the good and innocent ones! Soon, when there were barely 200, or so, Zarleans left, another group of humans stepped up. They were called Fighters, and they were trying to protect all the Zarleans. Evil or good."

"Like Doc," I blurted.

"Who?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. Keep going."

Matt shrugged, and started where he left off, "But, though they were fighting for a good cause, they were weak and small. The Banishers went after them, too. Finally, a third society was created and they were called Dark Rangers. They wanted to defeat the Banishers and kill the evil Zarleans. Thats us, by the way."

"Us?" I questioned. I knew I didn't join the Dark Rangers.

"I mean . . . like . . . all Zarleans have joined the Dark Rangers." He lamely explained.

"Not everyone." I replied, truthfully.

Matt opened his mouth to say something, but just then the door banged open, and Chuck came in.

"So, you know a Zarlean on the Fighter's Side, huh? And that 'Doc' dude, too. Right?" Chuck asked, closing the door.

Surprised, I asked, "How-"

"The walls are made of steel, but that doesn't mean you can't listen from them." Chuck replied, already knowing what my question was before I could ask it.

"So maybe I do know a Zarlean and someone else from Fighters. So what?" I glared at Chuck. He was really getting on my nerves.

"Watch your voice, boy, and Ann isn't here to stop me." He walked over to Matt. "Go to the other Zarleans and tell them one more is gonna join them."

Matt nodded, "Ok, Chuck." He jumped out, opening the door, locking it, and ran out.

Chuck sat on the bed, "So, Maxwell. You can fly?"

I decided to tell him the truth, because he already knew the answer and everything. "Yeah."

"Since when? And can I see them?"

"I just learned I had wings today. I haven't tried to fly yet." I unfurled my wings and flapped them around, gently. I decided not to tell Chuck I actually did try, and that I crashed onto the ceiling because of that.

Chuck whistled, "Nice wings, there Maxwell."

"Thanks." I admired my wings, too.

"No wonder you're so confused. You just learned today! But, how did you not know? Every Zarlean knows their power right when they're born!" He paused, thinking, "Your family must have hid it from you."

I shook my head, "No, I came from a human family."

"There has to be a drop of Zarlean blood somewhere in your family!"

I thought for a moment. Did anyone in my family act odd? Like, Zarlean odd? No. Then a thought struck me. "I was adopted."

Chuck stared at me, surprised, "Adopted? Maxwell, do you know how important that is? What's your biological last name, then?"

I suddenly felt really stupid. Why hadn't I asked this before? "Um . . . I don't know," I replied, sheepishly. "They never liked to talk about the whole adoption thing, and my past."

Chuck rubbed his forehead in annoyance, "I need to know why your biological parents left you."

"I never said they left me!" I retorted, hotly.

"Well, I need to know how you got to the adoption center in the first place. They could have tried to save you from Banishers, or could have tried to save themselves, by sending you away."

"Hey!"

"Or, the Banishers killed one of your parents, or both, and one of them, or someone else, was able to put you in the adoption center." Chuck finished.

I snorted, "Like in the movies? You know, in Kung Fu Panda 2 or Harry Potter?"

"I was serious."

"So was I."

Chuck sighed, "Who do you stay with now?"

"You." I rolled my eyes because the answer was so obvious.

"I mean, do you usually live with your adopted family?"

"Usually, yeah."

"What's your Father's full name?"

I hesitated, realizing what Chuck was planning to do. He wanted to ask Dad about my real parents. "He's not going to tell you."

"And why not?"

"'Hey, sir, you're Max's father aren't you? Well, I was wondering if you could tell me who's Max's real father is, 'cause, like, he might have been a Zarlean, and Max is a Zarlean, too. We kinda need to know why Max ended up in an adoption in the first place. Like, did the Banishers attack them? Oh yeah, speaking about Banishers, you might want to hide, 'cause the Banishers are looking for Max and might kill you in the process. We hid Max in a prison cell, so he's safe for now.'" I mimicked Chuck's low voice, and the possible conversation he could have with Dad.

Chuck laughed, and rolled his eyes, "I'm not that stupid-"

I coughed.

He glared, "All I need to do is to disguise myself as some adoption person and Ann would be my assistant. By now, your family probably got police looking for you. So, if an adopted kid goes missing, the adoption center gets involved, too, right? So, I can find out who's your biological family."

That plan sounded so much better than what I had in mind. The plan sounded promising, and besides, it's not like Chuck couldn't find out who I live with anyway. "Frank Davidson."

"Perfect." Chuck got off the bed and walked towards the door. Just before he left, he turned around and smiled.

Whoa. Scary.

"C'mon. It's time you met the other Zarleans."

**A/N: There. :)**

**And, just for fun, let's see who can answer the Riddle of the Day!**

**I never was, am always to be,**

**No one ever saw me, nor ever will**

**And yet I am the confidence of all,**

**To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.**

**What am I?**

**There it is! Please review your answers! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: IHaveASparklyFace got the riddle right! And because she was the ONLY one to get the riddle right, she gets to be a character [in the NEXT chapter]! The answer to the riddle was: I am tomorrow- your future.**

**IHaveASparklyFace: I think it'll be two more [including this one] and then you can read. Oh, I FAIL at riddles-_-. So, I have NO idea what the answer is [unless it ends in an a?]. What IS the answer?**

**Kittychow: Oh, I'm lazy too! So is IHaveASparklyFace by the way ;). Ya, I totally made Zarleans up- glad it sounds cool though! ;)**

**Chapter 3**

I followed Chuck out and my eyes widened. Even though the room I was in was ugly, the outside had style. We were in some sort of a dome-shaped building. The walls were made out of glass, and a glittering chandelier was above us. Huge candles in pairs were set around the wall. Steel doors went around the place. Man, this place was huge.

"Close your mouth, Maxwell, or the flies will get in." Chuck chuckled.

Hurriedly, I shut my mouth, "Aww, man! I thought this place was sweet, and now you tell me

there are flies around!"

Chuck rolled his eyes, "It was just an expression. There aren't any flies here."

"Sweet." I grinned.

"Follow me." Chuck beckoned me over and walked towards a steel door. He turned a fancy knob and we both stood in a narrow hallway. The red carpet matched the red walls and candles were hung. More steel doors lined the place, here and there.

"What's up with the steel doors?" I asked, as we walked down the hallway.

"For safety." He replied, staring straight ahead. I decided it would be better if I didn't ask what that meant.

After a few moments of silence, Chuck stopped at a door and knocked. Suddenly, something popped out from above the door and stared at us.

"Whoa!" I jumped back surprised.

Chuck laughed, "It's only a camera, o' brave one." He snickered.

I glared and peered closely at the thing. Yep, it was a camera. A funny looking one, but a camera. I flushed at my cowardice. I've have the whole Banishers trying to kill me, and I become scared of a camera. Great.

"Chuck here. Bringing Maxwell Davidson." Chuck told the camera. The camera whirled back, disappeared, and the door unlocked. Matt stood on the other end.

"Hey Max." Matt nodded at Chuck, "Hi Chuck."

"Matt, take Maxwell to the other Zarleans," Chuck instructed.

Matt stepped back, and I walked in. Chuck waved, and shut the door behind us.

Matt grinned at me, "C'mon, let's go! Everyone's waiting for you!"

I followed Matt, suddenly nervous to seeing different Zarleans with different powers. This hallway was less grand with steel walls and smaller candles. Ahead of us stood a huge steel door, which another weird camera popped out.

Matt stared at the camera, "Matt Greensburg here. Bringing Maxwell Davidson." The camera nodded and disappeared as the door unlocked. Matt went in and I followed closely behind. A blinding light hit me. As my eyes adjusted, I saw Matt with his arms high above his head, laughing. "Welcome to the Zarleans Headquarters!" He winked.

The headquarters looked more grand than the dome Chuck showed me. It looked almost exactly the same, except it had marble tiles, red carpet and was much bigger. Ahead, to the right and left, were two staircases with gold railings and red steps. Directly in front of me was a red circle rug, a brown sofa and two arm chairs. A cozy fireplace was at the end, with two steel doors at the sides. Bookcases and shelves lined the walls.

Matt beckoned his head towards the armchairs, "This is like our living room. A place to relax." I nodded, too surprised to speak. "Upstairs is our bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen." Matt pointed to the right door, "That's where the library is, and," He turns toward the left door, "That's where the labs are."

"Labs?" I asked, confused.

"You know, science labs, computer labs. That kinda stuff." Matt grinned, "C'mon, let's look at your room."

I immediately agreed and followed him upstairs. The walls were a creamy color, with newspapers in picture frames. Steel doors lined the 5 hallways. Matt led me down the middle hallway and stopped in front of the door marked 320. A keypad was next to it, with the 10 numbers.

"Choose 3 digits." He smirked, "But don't choose 320."

"Is this for safety?" I asked, thinking of what number I should put in.

"Yep."

I decided to pick numbers that meant something to me, so I could remember. 3 numbers. My eyes lit up. 3 societies! Banishers, Dark Rangers, and Fighters. B, D, and F were the letters they started with. I thought about texting. A, B, and C were under the 2 button. D, E, and F, are under the 3 button. So, the B was under 2, while D and F would be 3. 233? I frowned, immediately not liking the name because it was too simple. What if I took R in Rangers, instead of D in Dark Rangers? Then, that would mean, R would be . . . 7. 273? Yes, that number works.

Matt who was leaning on the door, watching patiently, asked, "So, have it? Your 3-digit number?"

I nodded and was about to tell him when he waved his arms around, which meant that I should shut up.

"No! Don't tell me! Only you're supposed to know!"

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, sheepishly.

"Ok, punch in your number." Matt turned around, his back facing the keyboard. I punched in 2, 7, and 3. Nothing happened.

"Uh . . . Matt? Was something supposed to happen?" I asked him, confused.

"Punch it in again for confirmation." He replied, without turning around.

I punched the numbers again. There was a loud click, and Matt turned around.

"Open it." He grinned at me.

I did as I was told and immediately loved it. The room, I mean. The walls were the same color, and the carpet was still red. The bed was huge, with a dozen pillows of different sizes, and a fluffy, red blanket. A crystal chandelier hung on top of the bed. A brown closet, a bookshelf, and a desk stood to the right. On the other side was a window with gold curtains.

"Awesome, huh?" Matt smirked at my open mouth.

"Are you kidding me?!" I exclaimed, and jumped onto the bed. I was immediately sunk under the warm and soft blanket. "This is better than anything!"

"What?"

I realized my words must have been muffled, because my face was buried under the pillows. I sat up and repeated what I said before.

For just a fraction of a second, Matt's face dropped, his smile turning into a frown, and a small whisper came out of his mouth. "Anything?" But, then he was laughing at me, and I shook my thoughts. I must have imagined it.

"But couldn't it be a little more black and blue? Red and yellow aren't exactly my type." I teased.

Matt rolled his eyes, "All the rooms are like that. Now, the bathroom is by the bookshelf. Freshen up, and I'll meet you at the kitchen." He started for the door, while I slid off the bed. "Oh, and," Matt turned around, "The kitchen is at the end of the hallway."

"Ok, Matt. Got it."

Matt stepped out of the room and reminded me, "And remember to lock the door." He closed the door. I walked over, locked it, and made my way to the bathroom.

The bathroom was huge, but looked normal and white. Finally, a different color other than red and yellow. The bathtub had a red curtain that hung from a gold railing. On a hanger was some clothes and a towel. I glanced at the mirror and almost laughed. I looked horrible, with dark circles under my eyes, patches of mud on my cheeks, and some leaves were stuck in my hair. I really do need a shower.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A good 20 minutes later, I stood in front of a mirror, flapping my wings and wearing the new clothes. Green shirt and dark jeans. I folded my wings, turning it invisible, and stepped out of the room. I locked the door and headed down the hallway, counting the doors as I passed. By the time I reached the end of the hallway, I counted 30 doors.

I was in a dining room. There were 5 long wooden tables, with 6 candles in pairs. The carpet was red, the walls yellow and crystal chandeliers hung from above. Near a corner, was a huge double-door with a sign that read: Kitchen. Matt stood next to it, munching on something with a faraway look.

"Matt!" I called, as I walked to him.

Surprised he turned around, and grinned when he saw it was me. "Oh good, you're back. Took you long enough." He handed me a plate with bread, a cookie, and something that looked like a spring roll.

I ignored his tease, and grabbed the plate hungrily, "Thanks."

We sat at the end of the table, silently eating. After I finished everything besides the cookie, I asked, "Where's everyone else?"

Matt wiped his hands on a napkin, "It's past lunch, so they're either in the library or outside."

I chewed my cookie, "I-". Suddenly, red lights, from somewhere in the ceiling, crazily danced around. They sounded almost exactly like those fire alarms we had in school, except louder and terrifying. Matt jumped up, and ran toward a hallway.

"Max, c'mon! Run!" He screamed. I ran alongside with him, and down the staircase. It was the first time I saw other Zarleans. They didn't look any different. Just innocent human kids, screaming and running around.

"Matt!"

We turned to the voice, and saw a blond boy, who looked as old as Matt.

The blond guy panted, "The library is on fire! The Banishers attacked!"

I stared at the library, and could see the red-orange flames dancing at the corners of the door, and thick smoke that was starting to swarm the room.

"Sam, we need water! Go get water!" Matt told the blond guy, Sam. Sam nodded, and disappeared into the crowd of Zarleans. Matt yelled at the top of his lungs, "Get water! Get water!"

Suddenly, about a dozen Zarleans jumped up, and unfurled their wings. They flew past us, and into their hallways.

"Max, go to your room and get buckets. Fill them with water and bring them here!" Matt yelled, before disappearing, in the smoke.

So, _that's_ what they were doing. Getting buckets. I unfurled my wings as well, and hesitated for just a second about flying. I jumped, bracing myself for another bump on my head, when instead I saw I was floating! Flapping my wings a little harder, I started my way to my room. I couldn't believe I was actually flying!

Already the smoke had reached the upper floor, tickling my toes. I punched in 273, flew into the bathroom, and opened the bathroom closet. I grabbed the 2 buckets, filled them with water, rushed back down the stairs, handing them to the nearest Zarlean. After that, I grabbed a bucket that was on the bottom of the staircase, and start everything over again. Chuck and Ann were there, each holding hoses, and spraying water onto the door, desperately trying to calm the fire.

But, at like, my 10th round of fetching water, an unexpected visitor was waiting for me.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I glared at the tap, wondering why the water was so slow. Downstairs, Zarleans and humans are desperately trying to save lives and destroy a fire, and here I am, waiting for the bucket to fill up. Sigh.

Just then, the bathroom door slammed, making me jump back, and yelping. I grabbed the half-filled bucket, and threw it at the intruder.

"Hey!"

I stared, surprised, to find the intruder to be a friend.

"Ugh, watch before you act, retard." Sabrina, huffed, flicking a wet stray of hair of her face.

"Sabrina?! How'd you get here?!" I threw her a towel, and grabbed the bucket, placing it under the tap. "Where were you when I was getting kidnapped?!"

She squeezed her braid, trailing water. Without meeting my eyes, she spoke, "Actually . . . actually . . ." suddenly, she flew her arms around me, hugging me tight.

"Erm," I choked, "Sabrina . . ." I started to wiggle back, but her fingers were clenched tight around my arms.

"I'm so sorry!" She sobbed, and I could feel the tears fall on my neck, and wet my shoulders. "We saw the whole thing! And I just hid with Doc! I didn't do anything to help you!"

"It's ok, Sabrina. The good thing is, they didn't kill me." I remarked, dryly.

Sabrina let go, wiping her tears, "That's why I came back."

I stared at her confused, "Came back? What do you mean? Where's Doc?"

Sabrina's eyes flared, and she scowled, "Doc! He's such a stupid coward! And we were even more stupid to believe him!"

"Sabrina, where is Doc?" I asked, sternly, dreading the answer.

She stared at me, and replied slowly, "Max . . . there is no Doc. He's . . . he's a Banisher."

I immediately stepped away from her, "No. No!" I realized what this all meant. Doc was trying to take us to the Banishers. Now that I escaped, he's going to kill my family. My adopted one, and maybe my real one, too, if they're still alive. And he came back for me. He followed me, and attacked this library. I was the reason for this mess. "He attacked, didn't he? This fire is because of him?"

Sabrina nodded, "Yes. After you got kidnapped, Doc was furious. He lost you, and he didn't want to lose me. So he got the rest of the Banishers, and we all flew over here. And . . and attacked." Fresh tears welled inside her eyes, "But, I managed to escape when they were all distracted."

"God, Sabrina! We have to tell the others!" I started for the door, but stopped at the gentle touch of Sabrina's arm.

"One more thing, Max," She whispered, "On the way here, the Banishers bombed the whole Fighter's Headquarters."

I stared at her, taking the news in. I gulped, keeping my emotions together, "How?" I winced at how high my voice went.

"Dark Rangers and Fighters are partners, so the Banishers managed to trail them, which led us to the Fighter's Headquarters." She ducked her head, and grabbed the bucket, which was now overflowing. "Let's go."

I nodded, and opened the door. We both flew downstairs, and found that the smoke was slowly clearing, and that the fire was actually calming down. We flew over the crowd, dumping the buckets on the fire. I spotted Chuck right away and swooped down towards him with Sabrina right next to me.

"Chuck! Chuck!" I hollered, landing next to him.

"Maxwell, go get-" He frowned at Sabrina, "Who the heck is she?"

"Sabrina-" I paused, frowning, and realizing I didn't know her last name.

"Sabrina Anderson. I'm a Zarlean with wings. Like Max." Sabrina finished for me.

"Good. More helpers. Now go get more water!" Chuck instructed, distracted.

"No! Chuck! Listen! This is really important!" I pleaded. Chuck hesitated, then nodded. "Remember how I said I knew a Zarlean from the Fighters? And a Doc guy?" I hurriedly explained. Chuck nodded, confused. "Well, this is the Zarlean I was talking about." I pointed to Sabrina. "And that Doc guy, turned out to be a traitor. He's a Banisher."

"Good thing I kidnapped you, then." Chuck grabbed a bucket that was rolling.

I ignored his humor, and continued in a serious tone, "Well, the Banishers took advantage of that. They followed you. They found this place, and they found the Fighters Headquarters."

Chuck's eyes flashed and he clenched the bucket tightly, "They found the Fighter's Headquarters?"

"Yes, and not only that, but they completely destroyed it! Chuck . . . there's no more Fighters." I finished, and I felt Sabrina's hand twine into mines, and squeezed it.

Chuck slowly took the news in, and turned grim, "And they'll be no more of us, if we don't get rid of this fire!" Chuck pressed a red button on the wall, and immediately, a crowd of people masked in black robes, swarmed in.

"Who the heck are they?! They look like they're supposed to be Death Eaters in Harry Potter!" I yelped, jumping back, which made me step on Sabrina's toe, making us fall.

"They're Dark Rangers, you idiot!" Sabrina growled, pushing me off. Suddenly, I felt two hands grab my shoulders, and pull me back.

"Hey! Who-" My question turned to a scream, as a chandelier fell at the spot Sabrina and I were in just a few seconds ago. A huge chunk of wall and glass fell down on top, revealing a blue sky full of red and black planes. "Sabrina!" I stared at the chandelier, hoping Sabrina wasn't under it.

"It's ok, Max. Sam got her." I turned around to the person who saved me, and found it was Matt. Sam and Sabrina hurried over to us, pulling Chuck and Ann. Ann stared, open-mouthed at the sky, with fear in her eyes. Chuck just stared blankly, as if he was looking for shapes in clouds and not enemy planes.

Chuck sweared, "Banishers. And a whole lot of them, too."

"What are we going to do now?" Sam asked.

"We run." Chuck turned around, but Matt caught him by the arm.

"What do you mean, 'run'?" Matt growled.

Chuck leveled his gaze, "I mean run. Now."

Matt let go of his arm, and spat, "You're a coward."

Chuck glared, "I'm trying to save lives. We aren't ready for this."

Sam and Matt burst out together, "Yes, we a-"

Chuck grabbed their arms, "You are. You've been here for two years. You've been trained. But what about the others? Do you expect them to live? There aren't no more Fighters anymore. Forget about them. Now, the only way to win is to keep all of us alive. And fighting the Banishers right now, isn't gonna help us." He let go of their arms, stepped back, and crossing his own arms, waiting for Matt and Sam's response. Matt and Sam stared at him, debating with themselves.

"He's right." I didn't realize I spoke out loud, until Matt, Sam, Sabrina, and Chuck stared at me. Now that I had their attention, I continued, "We have their weakness. Zarleans. That's all they want. They know they'll lose if we have a lot of Zarleans. So, we need to run. Like, now, and prepare quickly. It's the best way."

Chuck patted, more like slammed, my back, lurching me forward. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's run!"

Sabrina winked at me, "And fly."

**A/N: Riddle of the Day is: ****There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What IS this?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: IHaveASparklyFace got the answer right! a Watermelon! **

**And, remember how I said, IHaveASparklyFace is now a character in this story? Well, the character name is Nikki, and she's in this chapter! :)**

**IHaveASparklyFace: Name?! Well . . . it does make sense. Really? Then she's totally awesome! Calling a song 'Penguin' is awesome, just admit it! ;) Hey, that IS the riddle!**

**Kittychow: Ah, plot twists are fun! I am a total action/adventure lover- that's how I write my fics! ;) hahaha hilarious! And no worries- I suck at riddles, too!**

**Chapter 4**

As if on cue, we all ran at once and followed all the other Zarleans and Dark Rangers out. I grabbed Matt's hand and Sabrina grabbed my other hand. Matt held on to Sam, who held on to Chuck. Ann held Sabrina's hand. A human chain. Well, not exactly a human chain, considering that four of us were Zarleans.

"They're attacking!" Sam screamed, as the first explosive blasted chunks of wall.

"Of course they are!" Chuck yelled back. The wind started howling, as the planes started to come lower. The ceiling slowly started to tumble down, giving the Banishers a better view of us. I realized that we all were bunched together, like a bull's eye, and the Banishers just need one more cannon to shoot. Bull's eye! Banishers win!

Chuck must have been thinking the same thing, because he instructed us, "Separate!"

Matt, Sam, and Ann ran one way, while Sabrina, Chuck, and I the other. We followed Chuck into some type of platform. I gaped at all the cannons stationed there. Dark Rangers stood silently next to them, as if waiting for something.

"Fire!" bellowed Chuck, and immediately the Dark Rangers started to shoot. Chuck made his way towards a cannon.

"What are you doing?!" Sabrina screamed, grabbing Chuck's arm, "Don't shoot!"

Chuck roughly pushed her away, "They're trying to kill us! We need to push them back!"

"I know, but please don't shoot!" Sabrina pleaded.

"Why?" Chuck growled.

"Because there are other Zarleans in there! They're innocent! And if you shoot the planes, you'll kill the Zarleans in it!" Sabrina cried.

Chuck's face softened, "I'm sorry Sabrina, but I have to do this." He turned away.

"No you-" Whatever Sabrina was going to say next was drowned by her screams.

"They're getting the Claws!"

Everyone looked up, and started panicking. The Claws were made out of metal, and did resemble claws. The plane would fly up, avoiding our cannons, and drop a Claw. The Claw was connected with some thick kind of coil and rope from the plane. The Claw would disappear in the crowd and then would be pulled back to the plane.

"What are they doing?" I inquired, baffled.

"They're taking Zarleans!" Sabrina spluttered. "The Claws capture them and the Banishers pull them back onto the plane!"

"Keep shooting!" Chuck yelled.

"No! They're taking more Zarleans and they're your Zarleans, too! The ones who believe in you! And you're still going to shoot and kill them?!" Sabrina screamed at Chuck, horrified.

While they both yelled at each other, I stared at the Claws on how they swooped under, and just grabbed one. A stupid idea came to me, and I without thinking twice about it, I unfurled my wings and jumped off the platform.

"Max!" Sabrina and Chuck screamed, surprised.

Ignoring them, I flew towards a Claw that was about to grab a Zarlean boy. Before it could shut close, trapping that Zarlean, I yanked him out of the way. The Claw grasped air, then went up.

"Th-th-thanks," the boy whispered, running off. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another Claw descending. Quickly I flew over there, grabbed the Zarlean out the of way of the Claw. A few Zarleans noticed my idea, and started to follow me. Soon, the Claws were only capturing air, instead of Zarleans.

"Great idea." I turned around and grinned at Sabrina, who was smiling back. "Chuck is still shooting, though."

I shrugged, "Well, it _is_ helping a little. The planes are going back, and Chuck seems not to hit them too hard so they completely destroy the planes." Just after I uttered that, a Banisher plane exploded, and we both darted away. The plane fell, and smoke started to fly around. "Uh . . . well, spoke too soon."

Sabrina glared.

"What's that?" I asked confused. I pointed upwards, to a set of planes that looked exactly like the Banishers, but were black and blue.

Sabrina gasped, "They're Dark Ranger's planes. They're going to attack each other!" Suddenly, she pulled me and a Claw flew pass, just where I was moments ago. I followed dangerously close, and managed to grab the Zarlean just in time. The Claw went up and the Zarlean ran away. Suddenly, I heard a scream, and looked up. A Claw was clinging on to Sabrina's wing, pulling her upwards. She failed around, screaming, and was holding a different Zarlean girl.

"Sabrina!" I flew upwards, gaining miles of speed, with the air howling around me. I caught up to her, and saw that her wing was stuck in the Claw. I started to yank on it.

Sabrina whimpered, "Max, I think my wing is damaged."

"It's ok. I got it." I strained, and pulled harder. The Claw kept advancing upwards, and time was short. The wing didn't budge.

"Max, it's not going to work. At least take her," Sabrina nodded towards the Zarlean girl that was clinging to her, "and go away. Please."

"Of course not Sabrina!" I shook my head, continuing to jerk on the wing.

Suddenly, the Claw stopped advancing upwards, and instead started to fall. Sabrina's and the Zarlean girl's scream blended into one, as we all started to fall with the Claw. I realized the Dark Rangers shot the coil in half. My back was facing the ground, making it harder for me to balance myself and actually fly. So, uselessly, I was falling to certain death even with wings on. Perfect.

But I didn't die. Nor did I even reach the ground. Instead I was saved. By a Claw.

I didn't see or hear the Claw come to me. I just felt it close around me, trapping me. My back slammed onto the inside of the Claw, instantly stopping the howling wind, and everything was silence. And pitch black.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I opened my eyes and instantly made out seven faces peering at me. Four girls and three boys.

"He's awake!" They pulled me up, and leaned me on a hard wall. As my eyes adjusted, I saw that the walls and floor were made of cement, and in one corner there were cement stairs. The faces around me were teenagers, except for one boy, who seemed less than 10 years old.

"What's your name?" One brown-haired girl, softly asked me.

"Max."  
They slowly announced themselves. The brown haired girl, who had soft and dark brown eyes was Maya Daniels. A red haired girl introduced herself as Janet Baldwin. A guy, with blond hair and green eyes like mine, was Samuel Evans. Another brown haired girl was Ashley Ringdale. The other guy, who had dirty blond hair and looked kinda like Chuck, was Kyle Smith. The other girl, with black hair and purple streaks was Nikki Vaughn. She really creeped me out- she looked like one of those people who are humans and vampires at the same time.

Though, when I shook her hand, she smiled at me [no fangs] and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a vampire." Which just made her creepier. How did she know what I was thinking?!

Her brother, the one who looked less than 10, had black hair and piercing blue eyes, was Jack Vaughn. He was a quiet guy, barely even glancing at me. I immediately felt a little bad for him. I mean, that kid looked like he was drowned out of happiness.

"Where am I?" I finally asked.

"Uh . . . well, you're in the Banishers Prison for Zarleans." Kyle answered.

"Great." I rolled my eyes, "You guys are Zarleans too, right? How'd you guys end up here?"

Samuel, Kyle and Ashley glanced at each other and Samuel spoke, "Well, we both came from the Fighter's Headquarters-"

"-before it was destroyed-" Ashley cut in.

"-and we were captured by Claws." Kyle finished.

"And we," Maya said, beckoning to Janet, "were captured exactly like you."

Nikki looked up and spoke in a quiet voice, "The Banishers caught Jack and I a few days ago, when they found out I was a Zarlean."

Jack said, "But they soon found out that I don't even know my power. So, basically I'm useless."

Everyone sat, eyes cast down, not knowing what to say. Suddenly, something squeaked, and a bright light came from the staircase.

"It's the Banishers," Samuel whispered to me.

Three people with black and red robes, that covered their faces, approached us. The middle one pointed to me, "Up."

I slowly stood up, as did Maya and Janet, who were being pulled by the other two Banishers.

One of them roughly grabbed my arms, and they led me to the stairs. We climbed up, and there was a door, which they shut close. I was standing in a narrow hallway, with black carpet and red walls. We walked further and further down, until we came to a huge gold door, and entered in. A huge desk was in front, with neatly stacked papers and folders, and a large laptop. An even larger black chair was behind the desk, with its back facing us. Two long lamps stood at each side. Someone was sitting on the chair, and was wearing a black robe, with red designs. The only part of that someone I could see was a little bit of his shoulders, and the hood of the robe on top. All three Banishers bowed deeply, with Janet and Maya hesitantly following. When I just stood there, they pushed me down with them.

"My Lord." The Banishers chanted.

From the chair, I saw one arm come into view, and I almost gasped. Unlike these three, I couldn't see any of their body. But on this guy- well, being called a Lord, means you're a guy, right?- I could see his hand. It was long, thin, and white. Like pure, paper-white. I could see some veins here and there. The hand was holding something that looked like a cigarette, and acted as one. The 'Lord' blew out gray smoke, that flew around his head.

"And who have you brought along?" His voice was silky and soft. Not the good-soft, but the Don't-mess-with-me kinda soft.

"My Lord, after we attacked the Dark Rangers, we caught three Zarleans." The Banisher who was holding me, spoke.

"How many?" The Lord inquired, with a little anger in it.

The Banishers gulped, "Th-th-three, my Lord."

The Lord growled, "Three? We lost all those Banishers, planes, equipment, for THREE?!" His angry burst echoed, and I could almost see the chair shake with fury. The three Banishers flinched. The Lord let out a loud exhale, "Very well."

The Banisher continued, "The oldest Zarlean is Maya Daniels." The Banisher pushed her forward. "She is 15 years old and her power is Reading minds."

Reading minds? Now, that must have explained why Nikki could understand my mind.

The Lord spoke after a few moments, "Next."

The Banisher pulled Maya back as the other Banisher started to talk, "The next Zarlean is Janet Baldwin." Janet was pushed forward. "She is 14 years old and her power is being Invisible."

Like Matt, I thought. So there was being Invisible, Flying and Reading minds. What else was there?

"Next." Janet stepped back.

"The youngest Zarlean is Maxwell Davidson." I received a push, and almost fell flat on my face. I heard two of the Banishers snicker. "He is 13 years old and his power is Flying."

"Flying?" The Lord asked, instead of saying 'Next.'

"Yes, my Lord."

"We don't have many Zarleans with Flying powers," The Lord thought out loud, "Now do we?"

"No Lord. This is our ninth." The Banishers answered.

"And maybe our tenth." There was a short pause, then the Lord's hand waved them away. "You may leave."

All six of us bowed, and walked out back to the dungeons. Once there, we found the four eating some bread, and there were 3 plates untouched.

"Did they take you to the Lord?" Kyle asked.

Maya, Janet and I answered as one, "Yes." And sat flopped on the floor, hungrily eating. The bread had some jelly, and it didn't taste so bad.

"Just wondering . . . what are the powers? You know, of Zarleans?" I asked.

Samuel wiped his mouth with a napkin, "There's five powers in total." He held out his hand, lifting a finger for each power. "Invisibility, Camouflage, Reading minds, Flying, and Healing."

"Invisibility, Camouflage, and Reading minds, are powers that a lot of Zarleans have. Flying is popular, too, but it's not as populated at the first three. Healing is really, really rare. There's barely any Zarleans left with Healing powers." Ashley explained.

"I can Read minds," Kyle spoke, "while Ash and Sam can Camouflage."

I nodded, "Cool." I thought for a minute, "Er- So, what now?"

They stared at me confused, "What?"

Nikki then spoke up, "I get it. Don't worry they don't kill us." She smiled dryly. "They do much worse than that."

Janet's eyes widened, "Like what?"

"They mind-control us. Use us to go against our own sides, and work for the Banishers." Peter replied, darkly. "And after the Dark Rangers are defeated, they kill us."

We stared at him. Gosh, that boy has a lot of pleasant thoughts.

"And when do they do that, exactly?" I asked.

Nikki shrugged, "Not anytime soon. First they need their battle planned out. When everything is settled, then they use us."

Sam smirked, "Well, at least we have lots of time to figure out how to escape."

"The only escape is certain death." A loud, low voice came from the dark shadows. We whirled around, surprised for someone arriving here so quietly. Wouldn't the door squeak or something? A Banisher stepped out of the shadows, chuckling darkly.

We slowly stood up, and backed up a step, while the Banisher kept advancing.

"Long time no see, Maxwell," The Banisher stopped advancing.

"Who- who are you?" I tried to peer through the hood of the robe, but couldn't see the face.

"Such a shame you don't remember me." The Banisher lifted his arm towards his hood.

"No Banisher ever reveals his face to prisoners." Nikki hissed in my ear, pulling her brother behind her.

The Banisher slowly pulled his hood down and I gasped.

It was Doc.

**A/N: Dun dun dun! There it is! And, of course, we HAVE to have our Riddle of the Day, now don't we? :D**

**How many three cent stamps are in a dozen?**


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